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Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

HI

I installed two packages last week in WI and the weather forecast for the next 10 days is rainy or cold enough to suppress flowers (my assumption)...Should I consider adding some sort of protein supplement to the hive? I'm worried that by the time dandelions finally show the package bees won't have enough much life left to properly pass the torch to another generation.

Re: Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

I am in Wisconsin as well and I have been told to put a pollen patty in when I do my installs this year. I placed a patty in the hive that wintered from last year. I have yet to see how much they have gobbled up.

With the crummy weather lately, how did the install go for you? Saturday, if I can remember, was a bit breezy and damp around Watertown. juzzer

Re: Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

Honestly? It didn't go well and I felt incredibly guilty. All those happy youtube videos made installs look like its always sunny and warm,a happy and fun occasion. When I installed it was so cold that I lost a lot of bees in the process.. In order to compensate I rushed the install as quickly as possible- made a bunch of rookie mistakes and was stung about 6 times. The stings didn't bother me so much as the grimness of my installing causing so much death.

While I could have picked a better time, there was almost no good window for the install. Still I couldn't help but feel guilty when I walked back to my house and my mom pointed to the bees clinging to my jacket saying "you need to go back and put them back into the hive." There was no saving those few. One made it into my veil and promptly went comatose from the cold right in front of me. Don't get the wrong impression, I'm don't go hugging trees and talk about rescuing other animals, but still...it was pretty grim.

I hope that moving forward I can rely on splits and swarms to increase my numbers instead of using packages and being forced to install at a bad time in the season. On the plus side I learned a lot from it and just today I put in a dadant protein pattie from the watertown store into both hives. Much of my weather worries have gone away.

Re: Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

What I've found, it is rarely ideal. In the beginning (where I am as well), mistakes will be made no matter how hard you try and they happen often. But the bees seem to rebound spite the newbie blunders. Some hives don't hang. That is part of beekeeping (from what I've been told and read). Some hives explode with life and prosperity regardless of what I do.

I bought four nucs a month ago. I've gotten two healthy splits off of one of them already, and just put a second box on the original nuc. Two others are building slowly drawing out come and increasing in size. The fourth nuc I bought, went queenless right away... Then I lunches the queen supersedure cells... Me messing the hive up didn't help. But I've got two small nucs off of the strongest hive, two five frame hives that are steadily building, and one hive going nuts.

Keep your smoker well lit and a positive attitude. Pick up the pieces after they fall and move forward.

Re: Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

With the lousy spring many are having weatherwise, including me, any overwintered hive or newly installed nucs or packages should be fed syrup, pollen substitute or frames of honey and pollen until they are able to forage on a regular basis, this way at least they can still brood up well even if they can't fly much. John

Re: Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

Gus- Ha, don't feel bad. Last year was my first year and I felt terrible too. I think it is because we care so much for such an awesome little worker. Last year I found a bee that seemed to be dying, clung to me when I got home and I actually put it in a container to hopefully get it back in perfect health and then take it back to the hive. Looking back, I bet I was pretty close to giving it mouth to mouth!!! Just out of curiosity, how old are you? You mentioned your mom, so I thought you might be a youngen with an interest in beekeeping, which is awesome if it is the case! If not, sorry for assuming, but welcome non the less! Beekeeping IS a great hobby. juzzer

Re: Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

Re: Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

Right now I'm living with the parents, which sounds lame

Hey as long as you are helping them out and not causing any trouble its all good. If you are just sucking them dry and not helping around the house then yes it would be lame. By the way you described it it looks like you fall into the first catagorey. Take advantage of it while you can because it is brutal out here...

Re: Adding Pollen paddie/substitute

Originally Posted by Greg755

Hey as long as you are helping them out and not causing any trouble its all good. If you are just sucking them dry and not helping around the house then yes it would be lame. By the way you described it it looks like you fall into the first catagorey. Take advantage of it while you can because it is brutal out here...